U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis announces run for governor

In a Jan. 5 segment on the Fox News show Fox & Friends, U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis announced that he will be running for governor of Florida.

DeSantis, a Palm Coast resident and Republican who represents Florida's 6th Congressional District, made his announcement two weeks after President Donald Trump tweeted out an endorsement of DeSantis.

"Congressman Ron DeSantis is a brilliant young leader, Yale and then Harvard Law, who would make a GREAT Governor of Florida. He loves our Country and is a true FIGHTER!" Trump tweeted on Dec. 22.

Florida's current governor, Republican Rick Scott, has served since 2011 and is term limited.

DeSantis, who was elected to Congress in 2012, is a former prosecutor and an Iraq war veteran who serves as a Navy reservist.

DeSantis will be filing paperwork for the gubernatorial race on Jan. 5, he said on the TV show.

"As you remember a few weeks ago, the president tweeted support for me as a candidate for governor of Florida," DeSantis said. "So, today we’re going to be filing the paperwork to begin that effort. As a military officer, an Iraq veteran, and a proven conservative, with the support of the president, I’m in a position to exercise the leadership that can build on the great work that Governor Rick Scott has done to advance economic opportunity, reform education, and drain the swamp in Tallahassee that needs to be drained just like Washington. While this is an important step towards running for Governor, an official campaign kickoff will take place later this month."